Vivid Memories Recovered with Sound Therapy - by Sali

ByCheranne Hack

•

22 May, 2017

Written by Sali Green, owner at iwork4uglos

How is your memory? Do you find that it's become increasingly worse over the years, both long and short term? In this article I'm going to tell you what happened when I went for SOUND THERAPY the other day.

Holistic therapist Rebecca McCorquerdale
asked if I'd go along as one of her final case studies for sound therapy qualification. It sounded interesting and soothing, and I'm not one to turn down the opportunity of anything holistic, so we booked a date and before I knew it the day had arrived. I was uptight and a bit stressed. I'd had a furniture-related minor head injury the night before and still had a pounding headache, not to mention the 3 glasses of red wine I'd consumed the same evening. Rebecca welcomed me in to the haven of peace and calm she's created at her home, where the aroma of essential oils wafted around in the atmosphere. She seemed so relaxed and serene it was like she floated towards the kitchen to get me a glass of water, whilst I trailed behind feeling rushed, heavy and drained. Of course, the next thing was that I offloaded all my pent up feelings and related the story of the computer sliding off a chest of drawers and hitting me in the head. I was in anxiety mode, worrying that the head injury was never going to heal and would continue to get worse. I tend to get these thoughts that spiral out of control if I let them. Rebecca took it all in her stride. It didn't bring her down to my level. She knew that by the time she'd finished with me, she'd be sending me off in floaty mode just like her.

Back in the purple holistic haven, I sat on her chaise longue while she leaned on the treatment couch, explaining to me a brief history of sound therapy and how it's used and what it does. She said she'd be drawing on the natural energy from the earth and using the wonderful vibrations of sound from the tuning forks to rebalance my mind, body and spirit. There was also mention of dowsing and chakras.

Well - not only did Rebecca do all of what was mentioned, but also with these hypnotic sounds she also conjured up something quite unexpected in me. What started to unfold in my mind, once a state of relaxation and calm had been reached, was an unfolding of distant memories.

My anxious mind started to fight this at first, worrying that when your life's events flash before you, something's up! I reassured myself that this wasn't a 'life flashing before me' scenario. In fact it was all at a leisurely pace.

I used mindfulness just to bring things 'back in the room' for a while - feeling Rebecca's calm presence at my side, and picturing my bag in the corner of the room. I was still very much here, and we hadn't moved on to another world. So gradually I allowed those memories to flow back in. They weren't in order; they were jumping to different parts of my life - mostly early childhood. The thing that astounds me here is that these are things I have not recollected for a very long time, if at all. In the title of this article I've used the word 'vivid'. It's not an exaggeration. We're talking right down to the fabric, texture and pattern of the pale blue silky embroidered bedspread in my grandmother's spare room in Birmingham; her shoe rack in the wardrobe, filled with shoes that had molded to the shape of her bunions; the geraniums in her conservatory; feeding the fish in her pond, and going to Cannon Hill Park, feeding ducks and seeing red squirrels. Right down to the whole family playing ping pong, and the stale Weetabix she kept in the larder. She died decades ago. I also visited memories of my other grandparents - even the day we left their old home near Tewkesbury and moved to Cheltenham - down to the exact feeling of looking out of the window across the garden and saying goodbye to it. I would have been under 5 years old then. I remembered sitting at the dining table at the flat in Pittville, eating curried mince with potatoes and peas with my grandparents and cousin. We were still so little. I remembered exactly what Nanna said to us when we mashed our potatoes into the sauce: "You're making a right pussy's dinner out of that!" (and she hadn't heard of Hip Hop).

This trip down memory lane came to the point where tears began to flow. I could feel them rising up in me and this brought me back to being 'in the moment' again, because I suddenly felt conscious of my tears welling up and the slight embarrassment of that. I said this to Rebecca who opened the curtains slightly and said we would 'hold the space' for a while. The tears came and some snivelling too. I didn't feel embarrassed any more. I just felt what a big thing this was to me... all these memories that I didn't think I could ever have accessed again. They were precious. Next came Rebecca's turn for some emotion. When this happened I felt so privileged. It was like time stood still. Everything in our lives leading up to that point had brought us there, and we appreciated it and its depth. Rebecca felt a couple of messages for me that she had to say out loud - something that had cropped into her mind that she felt she had to pass on to me. Something about me being a warrior, and to stand my ground.

Along with memory-gate, there was also a physical reaction during the tuning forks therapy. A heightened sensitivity in one place, which apparently then gets attuned and balanced by the sound therapy.

8.30am - Partner's alarm goes off. Wakes me from a strange dream where I'm working in an office in a city, and keep doing things wrong, like unplugging a hard drive and losing lots of information, meeting Cliff Richard and we are all showing off attempts at gymnastics but none of us are very good apart from Cliff who can jump really high onto bannisters.

8.45am - Get in the bath. Check social media replies and emails for work. Discover that a friend has been scammed for 2 grand by a villa website. Share it on Facebook (and here) to make others aware of this nasty affair. 'Holiday makers looking at Italy beware. I have been scammed by a very professional villa website on the Amalfi coast called amalfihomes.com. I am £2k poorer now due to being so stupid as are a lot of people. Thankfully I was alerted about it from someone who'd already been out there to discover their holiday villa didn't exist, nor did the company. I have time to sort something else out but a lot of very unhappy people cannot afford to. Its so disgusting and sickening. Apparently the Italian police are uninterested and I suspect this is a mafia run organisation on a grand scale from what I can gather. The website is still up and running. I have reported it but please share to stop this happening to anyone else. Feeling really crap right now.'
- Helen from Tewkesbury

Apply eczema remedy to various parts of my skin. I think I might be intolerant of eggs, because I cut them out for a while and then I had some for a weekend breakfast and got big red itchy marks on my chin.

9.15am - Eat granola with cashew milk (topped with fresh banana and honey) that I bought from posh supermarket (which will remain nameless) even though I live nearer to a cost effective one. Like many other people I know, we get most of our shopping from the no-frills one and then pop over to the expensive one for a few bits and bobs that we love. Talking of food and shopping - I have a tip for you. For a few months I had discomfort in my stomach and it was big and bloated to proportions I'd not experienced before apart from when 'with child'. I didn't get round to visiting a nutritionist; the doctor couldn't find anything wrong, and I still haven't taken the York test that I ordered online. So I gave up gluten. Not absolutely and strictly, but mainly. Anyway my stomach went back to its old size and lost the bloatiness and discomfort within about 3 weeks. Much as I love bread and wheat products, it seems to have done the trick. So if you're struggling with similar, obviously see a doctor in the first instance, but you can also help yourself by cutting out certain food items. A couple of weeks later, re-introduce them and see if you notice any effects. I'm not qualified to give this advice, of course, but I'm speaking from experience and my own results. When I crave bread I either have oat cakes or rice cakes instead, or get some gluten free bread. There are plenty of alternatives when you start looking in to it. It may not be wheat you are intolerant of, so see what works and doesn't work for you. It's worth it when you eventually feel much better for doing it.

9.30am - Squeeze in an hour's work and some admin. Have just moved house and mostly still haven't unpacked from that (as well as the holiday), or changed my address over on paperwork and bank accounts. This must happen soon, but doesn't time fly?

10.30am - Meet lovely client at quiet venue in town that allows dogs. Interview client for social media and catch up on each other's lives.

11am - Back to the office for full focus on work.

1.30am - Drop aunt to hospital appointment about one of her eyes. She's seriously injured it in a rusty washing line incident and currently has no sight in it. It's extremely painful and they are doing everything they can to save her sight. Thank you Cheltenham & Gloucester Hospitals for your wonderful care of her. She has an operation coming up soon.

3.30pm - Fit in more work

6pm - Partner returns from work and we cook a curry, drink red wine, play Bananagrams and then watch some mutually agreed series on TV. I fall asleep on the sofa; he watches a couple more episodes. Since moving in together we've been trying new recipes from my collection of cookery books that I had never used. We've done fish pie, Thai curries and Melanzane alla Parmigiana so far, as well as a Greek salad I copied from when I went to Zante. Folks treated my sister and me, our children and themselves to a chilled out, memorable holiday this summer where we lazed around, explored a bit and ate and drank loads. As you do in these scenarios. I am so grateful as I came back feeling refreshed and soaked in sun. I travelled light, and while I was away I read 'The Peaceful Warrior' - a good read if you are interested in self development.

Tomorrow night I'm going out for chips and wine with some girlfriends. We want to get together and not spend much money doing so. Chips and wine seems like the perfect solution. What is your favourite place to go in Cheltenham when you meet up with friends?

This has been a different kind of column than I normally write, but I needed to do one that can be written in 30 minutes and here it is. Wishing you a great month and hope to catch you again next time! x

A weekly blog discussing contemporary food and nutrition topics, by the Owner and Head Chef of Poco Culina, Andy Tibbs.

In a week that has once again seen contaminated eggs become headline
news, it’s an opportunity for everyone to reflect on just exactly what they are
eating. Like many people, you may well be very particular about your eggs,
ensuring that you buy only free-range eggs from UK farms or even purchasing
eggs from local producers at Farmers’ Markets or Farm Shops. Also, many
supermarkets highlight the fact that they sell only fresh eggs bearing the
British Red Lion stamp of quality. Here comes the BUT though…

Supermarkets including Asda, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose
have been hastily removing products containing contaminated eggs from the
Netherlands from their shelves. These are mostly fresh sandwiches and salads,
filled with cheap, non free-range eggs mass produced outside of the UK. And
let’s not get started on the sheer volume of eggs incorporated into a huge
range of mass produced products on the same supermarkets’ shelves. It is simply
not possible for you, the shopper, to make any value judgement on the integrity
of those products. Double standards? Hypocrisy?

Well, here’s what Ian Jones, chairman of
British Lion Egg Processors, said: “We believe shoppers are growing
increasingly concerned about the ingredients used in manufactured food and now
more than ever want and deserve transparency on food packaging. The British Egg
Industry Council believes that this is a great opportunity for retailers to
listen to the concerns of their customers and reassure them by specifying the
use of British eggs and using the ‘Made with British Lion eggs’ logo on packs.”

My catering business, Poco Culina
, is entirely
plant-based. Whilst I have no intention of this blog being just a platform to
advocate veganism, it is however my belief that we all need to consider more
deeply what we are eating, where it comes from and how it was made. The
damage being to done to health and the
environment by irresponsible food producers cannot continue unabated. We all
need to take far more care in what is being sold to us, irrespective of our
individual dietary choices.

My approach, as a Chef, is to research ingredients and
cooking techniques that use fresh, single origin ingredients cooked to
traditional, mainly Eastern methods. Indian cooking is particularly exciting to
me. Take fairly familiar Indian foods such as onion bhaji or vegetable pakora,
they are bound together with seasoned batters made very simply with gram
(chickpea) flour and water – no eggs or butter required. Similarly, dosa –
Indian pancakes – are made from batters made with soaked pulses – urad dal,
moong dal, chana dal, red dal and so on, all of which are split peas or
varieties of lentil. The ever popular Middle Eastern falafel too is made from
soaked and puréed chickpeas. Made properly, there should never be any need for
eggs to bind them together. Not only are these products deeply nutritious but
they taste amazing too. But then you know that, you will all no doubt have
eaten and enjoyed them.

I've been going to my therapist for over a year now - maybe 2. At first we did a course of about 6 or 8 sessions. It was during session 2 when I had the light-bulb moment that I could learn to be in control of my thoughts, to a greater extent than I had ever been, rather than letting my thoughts be in control of me. I won't bore you with the details of the years of problems I had, all stemming from anxiety and a precarious mindset. Anyway now I see Lorna for a top-up session about twice a year and she also provides support over email when needed. I have to say, I've never been in such a good place mentally, and I'm not sure I would have reached that place without her help.

Today I went to Lorna The Mindset Coach for hypnotherapy for the first time - normally our consultations have involved psychotherapy but for one particular issue we decided that hypno would be best. It was a great session; I reclined on the comfortable couch while she talked me into a deeper and deeper state of relaxation and then put strong positive suggestions into my subconscious mind to replace the negative, fearful ones. She's helped several of my friends too. So I can recommend Lorna's method of therapy from a personal perspective and also from seeing the progress those friends have made / are making.

As Eckhart Tolle says in The Power of Now, 'To recognise one's own insanity is, of course, the arising of sanity, the beginning of healing and transcendence.' He believes we are all part of a collective insanity. We can't change anyone else's behaviour but we can start to improve things by taking responsibility and changing our own.

“Stop showing off Frances!”. The words hit me like a brick. I jolt to a stop, hang my head in shame and
back towards the door. Once outside,
huge tears roll down my reddened cheeks, whilst I try to work out which feeling
is the strongest – humiliation, shame, or anger. Humiliation takes first place with shame
coming in a close second. There is no
room for anger so that is shut out – rejected. Sibling rivalry encourages me to believe
that certain siblings, who were privy to the exchange, are smirking at my
abasing. Probably fantasy on my part but
it feels real enough at the time.

Leaving home for boarding school at 7 was almost
a relief. Maybe this was to be a place
for me to shine? A place where I could
'show off' without being reduced to a mere morsel of myself by the lashing of a
tongue, from a mother who would mow us all down with her words, time after
time.

Boarding school was different. I was no longer a show off. I advanced from show off to simply not being
good enough. As the youngest boarder, my
confident, wanting to shine self, was soon hushed. My dorm mates poked and
jibed me. They pushed me to undertake
the most inexcusable dares. All of which I undertook with a unsuspecting smile,
desperately wanting to gain their approval.
My efforts were futile however, as they had already decided that I would
never match them, in worldliness,
wealth, possessions or influence.
Or was that what I had decided?

Nonetheless, my now 8 year old courage endured,
as I endeavoured to make them laugh, offered to make their beds, pretended I
liked what they liked, danced and sang along with them all.

Then came the words from the most officious
matron – “Stop showing off Frances!”. Bang!
There I go, back to the abyss of misery and unsureness. Humility, shame, embarrassment oozing through
my every pore, whilst the other girls laugh and jeer. I dive into my bed like a rabbit down a
rabbit hole, as far down the bed as I can - and I cry. The humility and shame
are colossal. The message is clear. Never put my head over that parapet of doom
again. Stay low girl. Stay thwarted –
the life of shine is not for you!

Wind forward 30 years and I see myself having
developed a hard wired belief that repeats pattern like - over and over again,
but now I don’t need the trigger of another – I can shame and humiliate myself
single handily.

Clever eh? How does it work? This is it… stay low. Somehow, someone sees some talent in me and helps me onto the
stage. Happy days for a bit, with me
hanging about in the wings. Then after a while, I bravely take a step forward
towards the light. But I have barely put my toe into the circle of the
spotlight before I withdraw, moving myself back to where I belong, in the
shadows. Fearful that those
words
will be expressed again. They probably
already have, but they were out of earshot.

Only by now, all these years later, the anger is
rising. I am no longer able to reject it.
“I DESERVE TO SHINE!” - my unconscious shouts. “I know I have much to offer. I can help people.” But unconscious whispers back “don’t be
foolish, child, you will just look stupid – as you will be showing off. Stay back, stay safe. Stay in the shadows.”

I am so grateful for my 50s mid life crisis. For it was then that the anger reached its summit. It surfaced not as rage however, but as a
hunger for The Why? A quest to find out
why those feelings would show up every time a flash of opportunity came my way,
spoiling… well, everything. For the last couple of years I have read, I have
listened, I have learned and I have expressed.
And wow! Have I accomplished a
lot and no, I am not 'showing off'.

The knowledge I have gained now helps me to help
other people. It helps me understand how
I can move forward with a clear conscious. I have forgiven my darling Mum, that
matron, and my smirking siblings (even if they weren’t guilty!).

I can now see that the problem was mine, not
theirs. I am in control of how my
feelings show up and what they are attached to.

So now things can change. I have decided that being a show-off is what
I need to be. That singing and dancing
is not just for the films, it is for me too.
I will step into the circle of the spotlight and lift my chin and
smile. For if I can sing, and if I can
dance then I can shine. If I allow
myself to shine, then who can I be? I am not sure. But I am very much looking
forward to finding out.

There are a bunch of amazing people in my life,
who, probably without knowing it, have led me to understand that I no longer
need to worry about 'showing off'. Today was the first day that I found the
phrase “I want to show off”. I will say
it daily. These are the people I would
like to thank for helping me get to where I am today…

How is your memory? Do you find that it's become increasingly worse over the years, both long and short term? In this article I'm going to tell you what happened when I went for SOUND THERAPY the other day.

Holistic therapist Rebecca McCorquerdale
asked if I'd go along as one of her final case studies for sound therapy qualification. It sounded interesting and soothing, and I'm not one to turn down the opportunity of anything holistic, so we booked a date and before I knew it the day had arrived. I was uptight and a bit stressed. I'd had a furniture-related minor head injury the night before and still had a pounding headache, not to mention the 3 glasses of red wine I'd consumed the same evening. Rebecca welcomed me in to the haven of peace and calm she's created at her home, where the aroma of essential oils wafted around in the atmosphere. She seemed so relaxed and serene it was like she floated towards the kitchen to get me a glass of water, whilst I trailed behind feeling rushed, heavy and drained. Of course, the next thing was that I offloaded all my pent up feelings and related the story of the computer sliding off a chest of drawers and hitting me in the head. I was in anxiety mode, worrying that the head injury was never going to heal and would continue to get worse. I tend to get these thoughts that spiral out of control if I let them. Rebecca took it all in her stride. It didn't bring her down to my level. She knew that by the time she'd finished with me, she'd be sending me off in floaty mode just like her.

Back in the purple holistic haven, I sat on her chaise longue while she leaned on the treatment couch, explaining to me a brief history of sound therapy and how it's used and what it does. She said she'd be drawing on the natural energy from the earth and using the wonderful vibrations of sound from the tuning forks to rebalance my mind, body and spirit. There was also mention of dowsing and chakras.

Well - not only did Rebecca do all of what was mentioned, but also with these hypnotic sounds she also conjured up something quite unexpected in me. What started to unfold in my mind, once a state of relaxation and calm had been reached, was an unfolding of distant memories.

My anxious mind started to fight this at first, worrying that when your life's events flash before you, something's up! I reassured myself that this wasn't a 'life flashing before me' scenario. In fact it was all at a leisurely pace.

I used mindfulness just to bring things 'back in the room' for a while - feeling Rebecca's calm presence at my side, and picturing my bag in the corner of the room. I was still very much here, and we hadn't moved on to another world. So gradually I allowed those memories to flow back in. They weren't in order; they were jumping to different parts of my life - mostly early childhood. The thing that astounds me here is that these are things I have not recollected for a very long time, if at all. In the title of this article I've used the word 'vivid'. It's not an exaggeration. We're talking right down to the fabric, texture and pattern of the pale blue silky embroidered bedspread in my grandmother's spare room in Birmingham; her shoe rack in the wardrobe, filled with shoes that had molded to the shape of her bunions; the geraniums in her conservatory; feeding the fish in her pond, and going to Cannon Hill Park, feeding ducks and seeing red squirrels. Right down to the whole family playing ping pong, and the stale Weetabix she kept in the larder. She died decades ago. I also visited memories of my other grandparents - even the day we left their old home near Tewkesbury and moved to Cheltenham - down to the exact feeling of looking out of the window across the garden and saying goodbye to it. I would have been under 5 years old then. I remembered sitting at the dining table at the flat in Pittville, eating curried mince with potatoes and peas with my grandparents and cousin. We were still so little. I remembered exactly what Nanna said to us when we mashed our potatoes into the sauce: "You're making a right pussy's dinner out of that!" (and she hadn't heard of Hip Hop).

This trip down memory lane came to the point where tears began to flow. I could feel them rising up in me and this brought me back to being 'in the moment' again, because I suddenly felt conscious of my tears welling up and the slight embarrassment of that. I said this to Rebecca who opened the curtains slightly and said we would 'hold the space' for a while. The tears came and some snivelling too. I didn't feel embarrassed any more. I just felt what a big thing this was to me... all these memories that I didn't think I could ever have accessed again. They were precious. Next came Rebecca's turn for some emotion. When this happened I felt so privileged. It was like time stood still. Everything in our lives leading up to that point had brought us there, and we appreciated it and its depth. Rebecca felt a couple of messages for me that she had to say out loud - something that had cropped into her mind that she felt she had to pass on to me. Something about me being a warrior, and to stand my ground.

Along with memory-gate, there was also a physical reaction during the tuning forks therapy. A heightened sensitivity in one place, which apparently then gets attuned and balanced by the sound therapy.

The
default diary is such a simple but useful way to organise your business and
home life. Choose a colour that represents each type of way you spend your
time. To give you an example, I use purple for meetings, orange for my Top Dog
clients / consultations, green for down time and fun stuff, and blue for admin
and my directory clients. When I look at my diary I see at a glance how the day
or month is looking. And I make sure there is consistency. So every Wednesday
and Friday morning I’m in meetings. Every Monday and Tuesday I’m in the office
doing admin and promoting my clients. Thursday I go to appointments, see my
mum, etc. I can recommend this if you fancy giving it a try – it works! Let me
know how you get on. Thank you Robin Waite
for this idea.

I met Robin
briefly when he came along to a business lunch
I was organising. Later I connected with him properly when Kat from Sharpfox
recommended that he joined our directory. (Thanks Kat!)I was curious about how he had transitioned from the owner of a branding and web design business to a full-on business coach, so I joined his closed Facebook group ' Online Business Startup
' to get more acquainted, seeing as I was going to be promoting him on social media. I wanted to know what to say about him. One day I had a Facebook notification telling me that Robin Waite was streaming live to the group. I tuned in, listened to a couple of stories he was telling and realised there and then that a business coach isn't just something for other people -this was relevant to me as well. Obviously several other people felt the same because they were commenting on the video as it went along. From then on I was interested to work with Robin more closely, to find out if his tips and guidance would translate well to my own business. It turned out they really could.

What do we do in the coaching sessions?

My first session was an eye-opener. Robin turned up in his casual look of jeans and t-shirt. I found this more relaxing and friendly than someone in a suit. He was quiet at first, allowing me to waffle on about everything I wanted to talk about, before he steered the conversation around to beneficial questions and issues. He was listening intently to figure me out and find out about me and my business. I was surprised at how long the session was - I had expected one hour but he told me it was going to be 2 hours. This time flew by once we got going. He correctly worked out that I'm a very visual person and used diagrams for illustrating his ideas for me. I realised I had been plodding along with no direction, constantly going up all sorts of dead end paths, procrastinating and being easily distracted. Robin made me realise that it was time to focus, fine-tune my offering and manage my working hours.

In the monthly sessions that followed we covered all sorts of things - turnover, packages, subscriptions, co-workers, clients, enquiries, 'default diary', time management, social media scheduling, processes, strategy, ideas, branding, passion for what I'm doing, business growth, capacity - to name but a few. These were things that I used to just leave to chance. Now I was beginning to understand them and use them for the benefit of my clients and myself. Lightbulb moments were coming thick and fast. Sometimes they can be fun; sometimes they are harder work because Robin has to listen to me repeating the same old routine and moany things, and detect what I need, turn things around, and send me away feeling positive and excited about the next phase in my work. Robin has the ability to wade through the information overload which washes over him like water off a duck's back, and get to the important points, thinking outside the box, and translating his thoughts and suggestions into something I can easily understand.

To summarise what we do for the sessions: we meet for a coffee, talk, listen, brainstorm, discuss, decide, and Robin
will send me away with a small list of instructions to implement. I am then armed with ideas and improvements to make and I try to do these as soon as possible so that they don't get overlooked.

What happens as a result?

As a result of a business coaching session with Robin
I have plenty of advice from him which needs to sink in. This generally leads to a breakthrough in my thinking and how I go about running my business. Some of the instructions are so simple that I wonder why I didn't think of them myself. Once I put them into place, I see immediate results. This is no exaggeration. These are some of the very solid results that have happened directly from our sessions:

1) My turnover has doubled.2) I have more enquiries and more clients. (Some of whom are referrals from Robin.)3) I am more organised and professional.4) I work towards goals that we have set and see them come to fruition. 5) I have grown in confidence.

How can you work with Robin Waite?

You can work with Robin in several ways. His one-to-one coaching sessions are booked up at least a month in advance so you can apply for a breakthrough session and arrange a meeting. You can attend one of Robin's seminars to gain business advice, join his group and read his book ' Online Business Startup
'. You can enroll on his e-learning programme
.I have seen the demand for working with Robin steadily grow, so I do suggest making contact to begin your journey to doubling your turnover in 6 months, which will be his aim for you too!

Experiencing
a career setback - such as reduncancy, being passed over for a promotion, or
dealing with changes in your job description - can feel overwhelming. You may
feel a little lost at times, and your self-esteem may have taken a hit.
Depending on the situation, you may either feel undervalued or completely
expendable, both of which can take a toll on your mood and even your physical
health.

The good
news is that there are some things you can do to take control of your career
and, by extension, your life. It’s important to remember that you are valuable,
and if you’re ready to change things up and strike out on your own, there are
some simple ways to get started. Here are some of the best.

Take some time

One of the
first things you should do after your experience is to take some time away from
things. Whether it’s for a weekend getaway or just a day off, carve some time
out of your schedule to focus on yourself and your needs and take a breath.
This is especially important if you’re feeling low; getting away from things
for a bit will allow you to calm down, reset, and potentially start a plan for
the next move.

Figure out your goals

Your goals
may have changed since your setback, or maybe you’re not even sure what they
are at the moment. That’s okay! It’s normal to feel as though you’re
floundering for a moment after an upheaval of your professional life. The key
is to sit down and think about what you want to do next, and be honest with
yourself. Do you really want to start sending out resumes to similar companies
or confront your boss about why your co-worker received a big promotion over
you, or would you rather strike out on your own and start a business? Think
about what it would take to make you happy.

Make a plan

Mapping
out a plan for your next career move
can feel overwhelming, but
remember, you’re just in the planning stages. This is the fun part! You can
really get creative here. Do you have a skill or a service you can provide? Are
you arty or good with cake decorating? There are plenty of online outlets for
your business; the key is narrowing down what you want to do. Once you have a
few ideas, do some research to find out what similar businesses might exist in
your area and think about how your business would differ. Standing out in the
crowd is a big part of starting your own company.

This is a
good time to start thinking about whether you want to go into business alone or with a partner
. This can be a good friend or a
loved one, but it should be someone you trust and have a good rapport with. Starting
a business can be a stressful undertaking, and you’ll need someone there who
will have your back and can pick up the slack when you need a break.

Think about your online presence

Whether
you’re going to have a bricks-and-mortar store or an online-only presence, it’s
important to think about how you’re going to attract customers and what you
want the design of your business to be, both inside and out. If you plan on
opening an online shop, it’s essential to have an effective website for your
business
. You will
also want to maintain a good social media presence, which means opening and
keeping up with accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at the very least
to keep customers engaged and to attract new fans. The same is true if you plan
on being an online-only business.

Talk to someone who’s done it

It will be
extremely helpful if you can speak to someone who has experience in opening up
their own business, whether it’s a local business owner or an individual who
has started their own company online. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and
request some advice on getting started; you never know where the great ideas
will come from!

Moving
away from a career you’ve worked hard to build is never an easy decision;
however, it comes down to your desire to create a future that is both
sustainable and can make you happy, and that’s never a bad thing. With a good
plan and a little time, you can build something new that you can be proud of.

About Jason

Jason Lewis is a personal trainer in Delaware. In 2002 he became the primary caretaker for his mother after her surgery. He realised, as he helped her with her recovery, there is a special need for trainers that can assist the seniors in our communities. Jason worked with his mother’s doctor, as well as other personal trainers, to create programs that are considerate to the special health needs of those over the age of 65.

Our emergency services are sometimes described as angels. Following the fatal accident in Cheltenham, it was reported that passers-by have praised the emergency services who attended the scene and tried so hard to help Anna Rys. Also recently at the Houses of Parliament attack, doctors bravely ran towards the scene, knowing how dangerous it might be for them. We are so lucky to have these people serving the community every day, putting the lives of others before their own.

Someone else who has been an inspiring person in his own individual, eccentric way is Dancing Ken. If you have been in Cheltenham a while you are bound to have seen him. Ken created his own style and stuck to it - a bright, quirky, friendly and much loved man who over the years is believed to have raised close to a million pounds for charity. He was a great supporter of Cheltenham's animal shelter and a lover of live music who also got involved in politics, standing for parliament in the 2005 general election. I have a feeling that wasn't such a silly idea and he'd have been a more considerate politician than some of the people we see being voted in to power. Ken died in April, aged 81 - may he rest in peace, and we send love to his family.

GlosFund
is relaunching soon and iwork4uglos is helping them collect a list of local businesses and projects that want to raise money for all sorts of projects.

For example we have on the list so far:

1) Lu Farrelle, a local businesswoman who has designed her own ' botaniclean
' eco cleaning products and needs funds to have the product scientifically tested (not on animals) for safety and then bringing them to market.

I'm inspired by people who have a positive energy, are kind and know how to listen and be calm. With friends I've been watching The Kindness Diaries where an ex London stockbroker rides his yellow bike (with sidecar) called Kindness One around the world, searching for the good in humanity. He takes no money with him (although he has a camera crew) and relies on people's kindness for his food and a place to stay. In some cases he and the crew decide to give something special back, such as toys, books, medicine and a water filter to an orphanage. It's a good watch, and so heartwarming to see the pure kindness in action. Who inspires you?

Have you ever felt like your life is just, not where you’d like it to be? You’re making ‘to do’ lists, investing your energy into nurturing your ideas and plans but you have not seen a single sign of growth or return? It can often feel like that for all of us – this time of year especially, regardless of your career or ambition.

It’s a new year, which means we’ve (most likely) broken our unrealistic resolutions, and still haven’t been back to the gym. Our intentions are good, but good intentions don’t bring results. We then find ourselves at a cross roads, but it’s up to us to take action on opportunity, and get motivated to move! To find fulfilment in doing whatever it is we enjoy, while hopefully improving the lives of others is a good place to start.

That’s where I was three years ago. Having left my job in car sales in 2007 to work for myself in car trading, I still felt yet to find my purpose. I assumed that I would be happy by continuing to work within the motor industry, and I was on the right road, but buying and selling still just wasn’t for me – and the term ‘salesman’ certainly didn’t ring true in my case.

Car Helpers
was still a mere idea while I continued to drift along in sales, although I was happy to not be working for someone else, on someone else’s dream. I used to be that grey-faced man in a suit and tie wishing it was five past five on a Friday evening. I had everything I needed but I knew something needed to change. Ironically, it was while living in those shallow waters I felt like I was drowning. I was over my head in sales targets, when all I wanted to do was talk about cars and offer my advice without an agenda.

I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life, whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others. But I questioned my options, ‘how could I help? What could I do?’ Well, I knew about two things – cars and counselling! I have, after all, always possessed an insatiable obsession with cars, and my knowledge of automobiles is hard pressed to beat. When I tell you my favourite car is the Porsche 911, I hope that resonates with my fellow car enthusiasts – isn’t she a beauty?!

I’ve recently had an epiphany about the way I run Carhelpers
, and I feel it’s important to share my revelation with you. Perhaps it’s due to my admittedly heartfelt approach to work, or that I’ve gained some fresh perspective on life and what matters most to me. Either way, things are changing for the better here at Carhelpers
and I want to tell you why; you simply decide what my service is worth to you.

Let me explain…

As many of you know, my interest in cars is more of an obsession and from a young age I knew I would work in the industry. Being a car adviser has been the perfect career choice for me. I am able to combine my love for cars whilst striving to provide reliable and impartial advice. Working in the motor trade is the ideal opportunity for me to help people find the right car for them, whilst also saving them from being sold the wrong car.

The majority of sales people are genuine, caring individuals who only have your best interest at heart. I don’t believe there is anything wrong in selling if you are transparent and honest about what you are selling, although sadly there are those that see pound signs as soon as you enter their office. A customer often approaches buying a car from a very defensive standpoint, being wary that they are going to be miss-sold a motor that could be a drain on their resources; both financially and emotionally.

Honest, personable salesmen like Jim Rohn and Brian Tracy are examples to us all, often preaching the belief that you should never sell anything that you wouldn’t sell to your own mother. Some people even like to by cars with faults and fix them to sell on – which I totally stand by!

iwork4uglos
is a busy directory which lists and promotes lovely local businesses for a monthly fee. If you don’t have an advertising budget but would like to take advantage of our trusted, friendly community, then read our list of tips on how to market your business free of charge.